RAIDERS MOCK DRAFT GRADE B-

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BasicBasics B-

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Letter grade with a four-component score, written analysis, and a pick-by-pick breakdown for every selection in this saved mock.

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B-

Las Vegas Raiders

Mendoza is the Raiders' new face under center. Grade: B-.

by Grumzy · 2026 NFL Draft · 12 picks · 4 steals · 3 reaches
Value B-
Need B
Trades C+
Future B-

They finally answered the question that shadows every other one. Fernando Mendoza is the Raiders' quarterback, full stop. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.

Nowakowski has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. Boettcher falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.

A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.1 · Pick 1 · Fernando Mendoza · QB · rank 4
In the 1st overall pick they get the face of the franchise. A clean fit for the roster.
R2.4 · Pick 36 · Denzel Boston · WR · rank 31
Nothing to complain about; Denzel Boston went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R3.3 · Pick 67 · Lee Hunter · DT · rank 49
The board fumbled Lee Hunter all the way to pick No. 67, and they scooped it up. A need, and now a little less of one.
R4.11 · Pick 111 · Jalon Kilgore · CB · rank 104
Jalon Kilgore at the 111th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R4.17 · Pick 117 · Genesis Smith · S · rank 107
They read the board right and Genesis Smith was the payoff at slot 117. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
R4.34 · Pick 134 · J.C. Davis · OT · rank 140
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on J.C. Davis. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R5.40 · Pick 180 · Riley Nowakowski · TE · rank 224
Value said wait; Riley Nowakowski in Round 5, Pick 40 says they were not listening. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R6.4 · Pick 185 · Kaelon Black · RB · rank 226
Kaelon Black in pick 185 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R6.27 · Pick 208 · Bryce Boettcher · LB · rank 175
Taking Bryce Boettcher in slot 208 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R7.3 · Pick 219 · VJ Payne · S · rank 200
VJ Payne in the 219th overall pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
R7.30 · Pick 246 · Eli Heidenreich · WR · rank 250
No edge and no loss on Eli Heidenreich in No. 246; it is a wash and a sensible one. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R7.41 · Pick 257 · Jalon Daniels · QB · rank 266
A conviction pick on Jalon Daniels at pick No. 257 that the board grades a round light. It fills a real need, too.
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